If you are wondering about alcohol as cause for snoring and sleep apnea, well it is true. The main reason is that alcohol tends to relax the throat muscles and increases the risk of obstruction in the airways. Usually, the tongue or the loose tissue tend to fall back into the throat, which causes the vibrations. Additionally, sleep apnea is marked with pauses in breathing all through the night and heavy snoring is another symptom. Alcohol exacerbates snoring due to nasal congestions, obesity or even allergies while it increases the symptoms in people with sleep apnea.
What’s the Link Between Alcohol and Sleep Apnea?
Alcohol disrupts the sleep patterns in the REM sleep which is crucial for restful sleep. It worsens your sleep apnea by relaxing the throat muscles and allows the tongue to fall back in, obstructing the airways. It reduces the brain’s ability to respond to breathing pauses while asleep. This causes frequent apneic episodes. Additionally, by relaxing the muscles, it increases snoring and daytime drowsiness for people with sleep apnea. Thus, it is good to limit alcohol intake before bedtime to improve sleep apnea symptoms.
How Alcohol Affects Sleep Apnea
Many studies have shown that heavy/moderate consumption of alcohol can increase apneas and hypopneas every night even in people with mild obstructive sleep apnea. When you drink alcohol, it enhances the intensity of the apneic symptoms, lowers the brain response time to cessation of breathing and that creates a severe drop in the blood oxygen levels.
Additionally, consumption of alcohol tends to relax the muscles of the throat and slows down your breathing rate. The tongue tends to fall in the throat and creates a partial blockage in the upper airway causing heavy snoring, occurring in sleep apnea. Over time, sleep deprivation and fatigue sets in affecting other aspects of personal and work life.
Does Alcohol Cause Other Sleep Problems?
It is a studied fact that alcohol intake can change your sleeping pattern, the amount of sleep you get and the time it can take for you to fall asleep. Additionally, alcohol consumption even affects the way you breathe when asleep. Research has shown that alcohol can disrupt the normal electrical signals of the brain when asleep, which can change the sleep cycle and REM patterns. This leads to insomnia, short sleep cycle and modified circadian rhythm.
Those who drink heavily (5 drinks or more everyday for 5 days in a month) are at risk of chronic sleep issues while even if you drink moderately, alcohol does affect the circadian rhythm.
3 Questions concerning Alcohol and Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is one of the key factors for a myriad of diseases. Although one of the symptoms, snoring seems inconspicuous in the beginning, it is a red flag. And it worsens when you consume alcohol. Here are 3 questions concerning sleep apnea and alcohol that would provide you clarity:
1- How will alcohol intake affect sleep apnea? –
Well, alcohol tends to relax the tongue and the muscles in the throat. The tongue falls back and increases the chances of obstruction in the airways. Then alcohol exacerbated symptoms of sleep apnea, increasing the apneic episodes, causing fragmented sleep and poor oxygen levels.
2- Can I consume alcohol safely, if I suffer with sleep apnea? –
Though drinking occasionally, might not pose a serious risk to elevating sleep apnea, but it is recommended to limit the intake a few hours before your bedtime. Alcohol reduces the effects of the treatment including CPAP therapy and can increase the hypopnea and apneic episodes.
3- Does alcohol affect the quality of sleep for individuals with sleep apnea? –
Absolutely. Alcohol has a detrimental effect on the quality of sleep for those with sleep apnea. By relaxing the muscles in the throat and neck, there is obstruction in the airways. That causes snoring while it exacerbates the hypopnea and apneic episodes, interfering with proper REM sleep.
Does Alcohol cause Snoring?
According to numerous sleep apnea and snoring studies, drinking alcohol just prior to bedtime may help you fall asleep quicker. However, it also increases the likelihood of snoring. Alcohol is a vasodilator, meaning causes areas in your nasal passageways to swell and obstruct the airway. When you combine that with relaxed throat and tongue muscles, it’s a recipe for disaster – in other words, loud snoring. Thus, if you’re going to drink alcohol, make sure you’ve had your last drink 3 to 4 hours prior to bedtime.
conclusion
In conclusion, studies have shown that alcohol consumption impacts the severity of sleep apnea symptoms by disrupting breathing, enhancing muscle relaxation, and exacerbating most of the underlying risk factors. By reducing alcohol intake is one of the most important aspect of managing sleep apnea and promoting sleep quality and health.
In the meantime, if you or your partner snores frequently, Asonor Anti-snoring Spray and Snoring Solution Online may help reduce or eliminate those snoring episodes. To learn more, e-mail your questions to [email protected] or visit our website today.